FREQUENCY OF UNDIAGNOSED ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE IN PATIENTS ADMITTED WITH ACUTE EXACERBATION OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

Objective: To determine the frequency of undiagnosed ischemic heart disease inpatients admitted with acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD). Methodology: This cross sectional study was done from 1 January to 31December 2015 at Pulmonolgy Department of Khyber Teaching HospitalPeshawar on patients admitted with acute exacerbation of COPD. Ischemicheart disease was diagnosed if a patient was found to have unstable angina,myocardial infarction or had echo findings suggestive of ischemiccardiomyopathy or regional wall abnormality. Data was gathered on a structuredproforma where demographics, history of common risk factors and presence ofischemic heart disease and it’s further type was documented. Data entered onSPSS version 19 and analyzed. Results: A total of 412 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of AECOPD.Mean age of the study sample was 61.6±12.5 years, with 41% males.Frequency of undiagnosed ischemic heart disease was found to be 18%. Amongthem 47% had unstable angina, 23% had myocardial infarction and 30% hadischemic cardiomyopathy on echocardiography. Conclusion: One in five patients admitted with AECOPD had undiagnosedischemic heart disease documented as ACS or ischaemic cardiomyopathy. Key Words: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), Acute Exacerbation of COPD